Somebody Told Me
by kitfallen
Summary: Sora was born into this world, but Roxas and Naminé weren’t so lucky. Thankfully, Sora is generous and gives their souls a place to stay. AU. Marluxia/Naminé, Axel/Roxas, Riku/Sora/Kairi. Multiplicity, Multiple Personality Disorder, MPD/DID.
1. Prelude: Breaking My Back

Title: **Somebody Told Me**  
Genre: Kingdom Hearts, AU  
Rating: PG14  
Pairing: Naminé/Marluxia, Axel/Roxas, Sora/Riku/Kairi  
Main Characters: Sora, Roxas, Naminé  
Summary: Sora was born into this world, but Roxas and Naminé weren't so lucky. Thankfully, Sora is generous and gives their souls a place to stay.

--

**Prelude "Breaking My Back Just To Know Your Name"**

There was a boy, he had brunet hair full of natural sandy blond streaks and eyes as blue as the unpolluted ocean of tropical islands. His clothes were of bright colors, that danced across his skin with a life of their own. His hair was tied back in a messy tail, but that didn't keep most of it from jotting out into the air in every direction it could.

He danced on the beach, sand flung into his hair to match the bits of blond, his mouth open as sounds of pure joy spilled from his laughter.

"C'mon Sora! Pass the ball this way!" Another blond yelled, his spiky hair dimmed by the chaos of the other boy's.

The sandy brunet laughed again, juggling a blue and white canvas ball with his knobby knees. "Tidus keep your pants on."

Other teens, joined in on the infectious laughter.

A certain brunette girl with curls that also defied gravity, trying to catch the eye of the bulkier blond boy, however, he missed it and snorted in a pouting way until a tanned redhead clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Light'n up, Ti," The redhead drawled, patting the other boy's shoulder teasingly.

"Shut it, Wakka." He frowned, but it soon slipped back into a grin.

They continued their play long into the afternoon.

--

The same boy, his hair seemed to have been tempted into some amount of style, looking more blond than brunet because of this. His hair more neatly bound and tamed into a _stylist_ spiky mess, as apposed to _just _a spiky mess. The starkness of blacks and whites dominated his wardrobe, bringing out more of the cautious blue in his eyes.

As he sat across from three others in a hidden spot near the trains, those blue eyes weren't as pure as before. This was the same boy who had tossed his head back in childish abandon as he laughed, yet now when laughed it was a guarded chuckle, only vague humor leaking through to his tone.

Still, he traded glances with the gelled blond sitting across from him, both smirking in unison and companionship.

"Roxas, so are you going to be in our school this year?" A petite brunette asked, a nervous, slight smile already on her lips, soon to be erased.

The brunet-streaked blond shrugged, "I doubt it, Olette. I've been talking to my parents."

"And?" The other blond prompted, his mouth tight with the repetition of his conversation.

"Hayner," A pudgy brunet warned as his fingers fiddled with a camera, his eyes stuck on his hands instead of meeting the pointed glare he knew was sent his way.

The dark-haired blond frowned, the rest of the group tightening nervously in their own ways.

The petite girl rolled her green eyes, fingers splayed carefully on her crossed legs, everything screaming polite—that is, until the pudgier brunet poked a finger into her side. He laughed as she huffed playfully at him, her expression negated by the way her body relaxed into the friendship the four shared.

They would forget the conversation for now, instead deciding roaming for ice-cream to be a better plan.

--

His blue eyes were set wide and thoughtful this time. The boy's hair was down, styled again, but this time into soft curls instead of spikes. Bound no more, the long brunet and blond hair lay draped on the boy's shoulder, framing his face sweetly.

No more stark or bright clothes, now he wore simply _pale_ colored garments, all pinched and padded in ways to shape his body into something vague and unassuming. The outfit was only completed by the slight sandals perching on his feet, almost making the offending appendages to be smaller, sleeker, and, perhaps, even fragile.

"Naminé, surely an art institute would be a better suit for you…"

The boy glanced up from his plate of fries, which he had been delicately picking from, "Marluxia," The name was said in a tone of warning, and partly exasperation, but mostly just to have those sharp, but warm brown eyes snap to the boy's face, "I appreciate your support, but you don't know all the factors into this equation." The boy's voice, which had been carefree, then guarded, was now soft and toneless.

The older teen across from the boy, weaved his lips into a scowl. "Then tell me the factors, Naminé." The scowl should have looked off-balance in the midst of his warm brown hair, styled carefully into a fashionable shag around his face. Yet, somehow, the scowl fit there, carefully between the sharp cruelty, which could spring from those heated eyes in a second, and the soft twinge in his lips, which spoke of caring for the slight and frail-looking boy in front of him.

The curly-haired brunet-blond lowered his head minutely, letting his curls hide his face for a moment. "Sorry, Marls. You know I can't."

A soft edge to his voice, reserved purely for this one being in front of him, "You know I'd do anything to help you, right?" Then in a flatter, but more dangerous tone, "Is it your parents? You won't let me meet them. Are they doing something to you?" Safe, but precarious brown eyes met soft blue. He said the last as almost an afterthought, tossed in with a disregard for its meaning, "I'll kill them for you," Yet knowing he meant it in as pure a truth as the older teen could manage.

The meek boy shook his head sharply, "No. They have shown nothing but kindness to me."

The taller brunet kept the scowl, but leaned back, nibbling on a fry he'd nabbed from the other's plate. Together they lapsed into silence, not uncomfortable, but not friendly, though either seemed to notice.

But that was their way. They ate together in solitude until the bell tower doled out eight o'clock.

--

Inside his head was chaos sometimes.

"Mum, I'm home!"

He pocketed the key, closing the screen door, with a _twhap_, behind him.

"Oh Sora! Did you have a good day? Come here, sweetie."

Sometimes it was hard, knowing who was who. Sometimes it was completely overwhelming.

The sandy-headed brunet plopped down next to his parents, returning their welcoming grins with one of his own.

"Yeah, today was perfect." He said in a tone that was carefree, guarded, and soft all at the same time.

And… sometimes, it was just _right_.

--

**A/N:** _Sora, Roxas, and Nam' are an example of a healthy, natural Multiple. This is a real term, used to describe people who share the same body. Technically they would be said to have Dissociative Identity Disorder (it used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder), which is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a single person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. In this story, Sora is the 'original' front, the one who 'came first' and therefore the decision among them is that it is 'his body'.  
_

_Sora, Roxas, and Nam' are a natural Multiple, meaning they came about without any sort of child abuse, which psychologists currently claim causes Multiplicity. They are also what's called a 'healthy' system/Multiple, which means that they all work together to live a normal life. __I know people who deal with these situations everyday--they are not 'crazy', just stuck interacting through only one body, when they should have had more. There is a lot of argument over the treatment of Multiples in therapy and in culture, and so a lot of what I feel is true, is not 'offically' correct. Hence, why wikipedia probably disagrees with me. If you would like to know more I suggest looking through astraeasweb. net/ plural/faq. html (without the spaces, of course)._


	2. Part 1: Seventeen Tracks

Title: **Somebody Told Me**  
Genre: Kingdom Hearts, AU  
Rating: PG14  
Pairing: Naminé/Marluxia, Axel/Roxas, Sora/Riku/Kairi  
Main Characters: Sora, Roxas, Naminé  
Summary: Sora was born into this world, but Roxas and Naminé weren't so lucky. Thankfully, Sora is generous and gives their souls a place to stay.

--

**Part 1 "Seventeen Tracks And I've Had It With This Game"**

The boy laughed at something Tidus had said, punching his spiky-haired friend in the shoulder as they tugged off their ties, walking towards their gateway to freedom.

It wasn't really any surprise, but at the same time, none of them were quite expecting it.

"Naminé," The warm-haired teen stood, one arm perched above his head, resting on the top of the black metal gate. His long body had been leaning against the dulled red stones that made up the fence around the high school.

Tidus nearly ran into the blond-streaked brunet as the boy came to a sudden halt.

"Sor…?" The spiky blond hadn't taken much notice of the stranger before, but now followed his friend's sight and sent the lanky teen a glare. "Aren't you a bit _old_ to be hanging around a _high school_?"

A soft voice interrupted. "Tidus, please go on home. I… I'll catch up with you later." Ducking his head, the blue-eyed boy didn't look up as he spoke.

The blond whipped his gaze from the tall teen to his friend, his intense eyes softening but only mildly. "Whatever." He growled, annoyance leaking into his tone to cover up the concern, "Seeya later Sora."

"Later Ti." A vague carefulness filled the tone, but it was pale in comparison to the usual laughter that practically overflowed from the boy's throat around his friend.

Tidus shot the older teen a glare as he passed him, but quickly slipped by and jogged off to the bus stop.

The ash brown-haired teen watched the blond leave, than turned back, his sharp eyes roaming the other boy, his oceanic eyes still glued to the ground.

"So," The brunet slipped in closer, his movement coiled like a snake through a garden. "This is what 'factors' you always avoid speaking of, hrm?" He purred, without a hint of emotion one way or another. There was nothing accusing in his voice, but also nothing comforting.

The boy, called by so many names, raised his head. "Marluxia," The name wasn't said with any inflections, but nothing else followed, not any words to defend nor to argue, not even to explain.

The warm-haired teen shook his head, "Nam' this is ridiculous." His brown eyes pierced through all barriers. "I've known for a long time. It's something that is kind of hard to hide, my dear." His hand swept across the boy's frame. "You're male. I _knew_ that. What I don't understand is why you never _told_ me." At the end, his voice finally took the plunge and turned ice cold.

The boy's eyes rose to meet the heated gaze of the other's. "I…" Blue eyes fell softly, "That's not…" His soft voice drew away, head still bowed, eyes flicking from one side to the other, as if some silent conversation was underway—then suddenly the eyes stilled and flicked up. "Marls, there's more to it than that."

The boy's eyes flicked left and right. "Let's leave here." Without waiting for a response, he brushed passed the other and out of the school yard, away from possible prying eyes.

Sharp eyes followed him, shoulders shrugged and soon the one called Marluxia fell into step behind his companion.

They crept along the sidewalk, side by side, the shorter one keeping oceanic eyes on the ground ahead, the other's glance flickering back and forth from his silent friend and the pavement.

The two followed a path instinctively to a café where they usually met at.

Parting briefly, they met again with coffee in hands at their usual table.

With a delicate gesture, blond-brunet hair was pushed out of his eyes, another movement and his hair was loose from its tie and draped neatly on one shoulder.

"So," Marluxia frowned at his drink. "You're a transsexual then?"

The boy let out a sharp laugh. "…No," A smile had been startled out of the previously somber expression, "Well… not exactly anyway."

An ash brown brow rose, "So you're a boy through and through?"

Another laugh, "No."

"Then what?" A curious tint to the otherwise flat tone.

Fingers curled and tightened around the foam cup. "I'm… a Nobody."

"…What?"

The boy sighed, leaning forward and running a nervous hand through his hair, tucking it carefully behind an ear, "I'm not a real person, Marls."

Marluxia narrowed his eyes, gaze flicking around before resting again on the other in front of him, "What…? Are you going all Matrix on me now?"

The shorter one shook his head with a thin smile. "Not like that," He closed his bright eyes, "Here, meet the real one."

Suddenly he slumped in his chair, and Marluxia jumped up, "Nam'!"

But just as suddenly, the boy's head perked back up. "Sorry 'bout that." Blue eyes seemed eerily bright, "I didn't have any warning." The voice was no longer a soft brush of paint, but bright like a star and just as lighthearted. "I'm Sora. It's nice to finally meet you."

Marluxia slowly sat back down. "Marluxia," He murmured faintly, warm but sharp eyes wide as he stared at the… person in front of him.

The one currently claiming to be Sora laughed—a bubbly sound that certainly didn't belong to the one who had spoken through the same lips before. "I know. Naminé talks about you a lot." He winked.

The taller teen had paled, but still a faint flush was brought to his cheeks. "I-…I see."

Sora's smile saddened slightly, "Sorry. I know it's… strange." He dropped his gaze to the floor—lips never seeming to leave their upright position, a nervous smile currently gracing his mouth. "But, I hope you'll still be her friend." Blue eyes, suddenly brighter and filled with caution but also a background of long days spend playing out in the sunlight. "She really likes you, you know."

Blue eyes stilled, than drifted off center, "Oops. She didn't want me to say that."

Marluxia took a gulp of his coffee, and brought the cup down hard enough to dislodge some more of the drink from its place. He blinked at the spill, than muttered a vague apology as he mopped it up with a napkin. "Okay then." He murmured when he finally sat back in the chair. "So there's you and there's Nam'. You're a—"

"—Multiple." Another version of the boy's voice corrected, "Please." He added as an afterthought, "We prefer to be called a Multiple." Realizing then, in a socially inept way, that he was doing things backwards, "Oh yea, I'm Roxas by the way." Blue eyes avoided looking directly at Marluxia, his body language speaking of caution and nervous energy even if his voice was bland and rough. "Sora shoved me in so Naminé could yell at him." The many-voiced boy shrugged in a stiff manner that attempted to be nonchalant.

"Pleasure." Marluxia drew a hand to his temple, rubbing it unconsciously. "Nam' is yelling at…" His eyes closed briefly, "Right then." Then more softly, and mostly to himself, "She was right, this is a lot of factors."

"Of course I was right." Blue eyes finally seemed familiar to him, regardless that he had been staring at the same for the past few minutes—the thought sent an odd shiver down his spine, which he controlled, barely.

"Ah. You're… back." He gave the boy a slight smirk, lips quirking in faint humor.

The one, who was now Naminé nodded, taking her coffee back between her hands. "And you're still here, I see." She said softly, almost as a question.

"Yes. Yes, I am." He nodded, eyes the color of dead flowers rose to meet eyes as blue as the many oceans of the world. He couldn't help that his lips quirked into more of a smirk.

She smiled back faintly, still nervous despite all that had been said. "I've laid my hand down." The boy, tucked his hair behind his ear in a very girlish nervous movement, "What's your call?" _Will you fold or will you rise to the challenge?_

Marluxia watched his drink for a moment, seeing the steam rise from it. He was silent for a long moment, sharp eyes studying the slightly uneven foam bubbles of the cup.

Slowly a quirk moved its way through his carefully bland expression—it finally reached his lips and tipped them upwards. "Let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes, hm?"

And the girl he knew so well, within the frail boy's body, let loose a smile that lit up the café with its warmth.

--

It was a week later that Naminé kissed Marluxia.

The warm-haired teen blinked his widened eyes at the small boy sitting across from him.

The boy had his arms crossed and frowned at the other. They watched each other for a long moment.

Marluxia sighed, "Roxas can you tell Nam' that it's alright, she can come… back now."

Roxas snorted, looking away, "She can hear you." He murmured, blue eyes going unfocused for a moment before they softened and turned back to face the other.

Crossed arms fell to fumbling fingers in the boy's lap. "I'm sorry, Marls. I didn't mean to make this more complicated for you." Naminé didn't meet his eyes.

"Naminé, look at me." There was a warning in the earthy voice, but she still didn't meet his eyes. "Nam'. Look at me." His voice curled softly at the nickname, forcing oceanic eyes to rise and meet warm brown.

Moving silently, as if caught in a trance, the older male leaned forward, lifting the Naminé's chin with a single graceful finger—his eyes never left hers as breath from his lips heated hers. "Naminé, you're no where near making this _more_ complicated." A small smile graced his lips, for once not empty of humor, "I know _this_ part. This part is easy." He closed the distance between their lips gently.

--

**A/N:** _Next chapter is Roxas and Axel... unless I get very inspired to write Sora's chapter next.  
_


	3. Part 2: But Heaven Ain't Close

Title: **Somebody Told Me**  
Genre: Kingdom Hearts, AU  
Rating: PG14  
Pairing: Naminé/Marluxia, Axel/Roxas, Sora/Riku/Kairi  
Main Characters: Sora, Roxas, Naminé  
Summary: Sora was born into this world, but Roxas and Naminé weren't so lucky. Thankfully, Sora is generous and gives their souls a place to stay.

--

**Part 2 "But Heaven Ain't Close In A Place Like This"**

"Sor, that _guy_ is here again." Tidus growled, shifting the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder.

Bright blue eyes glanced in the direction Tidus glared. "Ah, so he is." The grin that always shone on Sora's face brightened slightly. "I guess I'll catch up with you later then, Ti."

Tidus scowled and tugged at the strap of his bag, but strode to the gate, only sending the warm-haired man a single sharp glare before scurrying out of the school's yard.

Marluxia watched the spiky-blond leave, "He doesn't like me much, does he?" He commented idly.

Sora shrugged, "Sorry Marl. Ti will warm up eventually." A sly grin worked its way onto his face, "So what've you got planned for Nam today? She was being all secretive and stuff before."

The man gave a warm, but sharp laugh, "Not surprised. Sora, you and Roxas should let her be. She doesn't have to tell you everything if she doesn't want to." His eyes, as quick and sharp as arrows, studied the school's old, creaky buildings, before his gaze fell back to the blond-streaked brunet. "Now can I get on with my date with your 'sister', or are you determined to drag every detail out of one of us?"

Sora frowned, looking more like a pouting four year-old than the teenager he really was. "Fine, fine," His expression went blank for a moment, before a soft smile curled its way onto the boy's face.

"Good Afternoon, Naminé." Marluxia smiled, holding out his arm for her. "I hope you are ready to embark on a journey with myself."

Tugging her hair out of its tie and draping it over her shoulder, she curled her arm around his offered one. The motion looked more like it belonged in places of elegance and not in the sunburnt schoolyard of a deteriorating highschool, but one managed where they could. "We've got a few hours before Sora needs to be home. You promised to show me the place you found yesterday, Marls." She chided teasingly, her smile soft but glowing in love and pride of the man walking with her.

"Ah yes," He murmured, a warm quirk of his lips let her know his own amusement, "So let's get going there or else we'll miss the start."

--

It wasn't so strange that Sora and Roxas were alright with Naminé's relationship with Marluxia. After all, they had discussed personal sexualities before and decided that in general, they all, at least, liked guys.

Roxas really didn't mind. He really didn't. …Except that these 'dates' kept eating into _his_ time to be out.

--

"…And the time before that you claimed something came up with your grandmother, and the time before that, you told us that your aunt was ill and you had to bring her cookies. I mean, really, you can't have random 'family emergencies' _every_ time we plan to hang out, Rox."

The brown-streaked blond scowled into the phone. "Look, Hayner, it's… not something I can control, _unfortunately_." He growled the last bit softly. He knew she was listening.

On the other end of the line, Hayner paused, and took a deep breath. "Look, man, I can take you needing to do something else, but stop _lying_."

Roxas's scowl deepened and he ran a hand along his face; he let the pause grow longer.

"Pence and Olette agree with me, ya know." Hayner stopped suddenly, than continued in a lower, more cautious tone, "What's so bad, you can't tell us?"

Blue eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling. "…You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

There was another long pause. "…I see." Hayner said stiffly, and Roxas sighed.

"Look, it's not like tha—" He began.

"We'll seeya later. _Goodnight_ Roxas." The phone _beeped _to signal that the call had ended.

Roxas groaned and tossed the cell on the blue, starry bed comforter. "This is getting ridiculous, Nam'." He said as he recoiled back from the real world, into the place they'd made to stay when they weren't fronting. Here Roxas stood as a spiky-haired blond with bright blue eyes and a mouth made to scowl. "Can't you just talk to Marly so _I_ can have some time to myself?"

"Don't call him that." Naminé was curled up in a chair, a sketchpad on her lap. Here she looked like the girl she was, her long blonde hair framed her face in its light curls, her light blue eyes edged with pale lashes. Sora was fronting now; they could feel his mind ready to frown out his homework.

Roxas leaned back against the wall, frowning, "Nam'." He purposefully softened his voice, "I know you're scared, but I don't think Marly will be mad at you—or _us_, for that matter—if you tell him about our schedules."

Naminé curled in on herself slightly, "But…" Her lip trembled.

The boy sighed, "I mean it, he won't mind. We already know that he's accepted us a lot more than anyone else. He'll understand. I promise."

They felt Sora's frustration and Roxas sighed, "That's my cue. Nam' just think about it." Then he closed his eyes and shifted back to the real world. "Okay, okay, Sora, what do you need help with this time?"

--

The phone rang, and rang… and rang.

"Goddamnit, Hayner! Pick up your freaking cell!" Roxas caught himself at the last moment to stop from screaming at the phone, his voice instead coming off like the squeal of metal against glass.

Sora and Naminé watched from behind their shared body's bright blue eyes. "I don't think…" Sora began.

"This is entirely your fault." Roxas growled, his self in their mind glaring at his 'sister'. Even with most of his attention focused on the real world, he could feel the flinch from her. He could feel the beginnings of Sora's usual arguments against Roxas's bigheadedness, but Roxas slammed the mental door between him and their mental playground—locking himself into the front, yes, but shutting Sora up.

"Fuck." The more serious of the two boys scowled. As much as he'd wanted to shut Sora up, he wasn't sure spending hours in the real world, bored out of his mind, was worth it. He'd better _make_ this worth it.

The world felt different when it was his turn up to bat. Seeing through Naminé, was like a study of lines and shapes—each person was a masterpiece with coded locks and all Nam' wanted to do was find just the right strokes to free the person's soul on a canvas. Sora's world was bright and soft-edged—nothing in the universe could help but befriend him, this miniature sun of warmth and love, and so nothing could hurt him. The idea of hurting someone, when seeing the world through Sora's eyes was a strange concept.

Roxas liked to think that what he saw, when he used their eyes, was the _real_ world. He liked to think that the grit and filth was worth the beauty in those little details of the world. There were no rose-colored glasses here.

"GOING OUT!" The dark-streaked blond called down the stairs, snatching a checkered hoodie from his side of their closet and throwing it over Sora's school uniform. Ocean blue eyes stared back at him in the mirror as he paused in the hallway to comb his fingers through the barely tamable spikes of the boy's blond and brown hair.

"Be back by six!" Came the answer from the garage. Their mother—Sora's mother, really—was busy working on a glass piece for the neighbor to thank him for helping out last month.

Roxas tried to slam the door as he stomped through it, but the backdoor seemed to sense his bad mood and instead only gave a weak squeak at the jostle of opening and closing.

--

So maybe stuffing his face with ice cream wasn't a usual person's idea of a good time, but when you spent most of your time in the back of someone else's head, you tended to enjoy whatever small physical pleasures you could, while you could.

And so, Roxas was stuffing his (Sora's) face with ice cream at a small parlor on the edge of the city of Traverse, just barely beyond the limits of Twilight Town—which still insisted it was its own _town_ despite the fact without signs, no one would be able to tell where Twilight stopped and Traverse began.

The small-structured boy hopped a train to Twilight whenever Roxas wanted to hang out with Hayner, Pence, Olette, and the Usual gang.

He could still wander Twilight Town without them. He could probably find them too—but that would just be admitting defeat to Hayner's bullheadedness.

So instead Roxas straddled both the city limits and found another ice cream shop to memorize to the list he kept whenever Sora was banned from eating desserts because his grades were doing badly.

This, of courses, was where Roxas ran into his entertainment for the afternoon.

"Yo, sunshine, are you trying to achieve death by ice cream or something?"

Roxas frowned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand—he could see Sora's mother's frown at this, but did it anyway—and turned to face the uniformed worker. "_Yes_, so let me die in peace, firebrain." He rolled his eyes.

The redhead looked a bit taken back—something Roxas seemed to inspire a lot more then Sora ever did—but his expression quickly shifted to something more… _leering_.

"Well, if you're not using it, can I have the body afterward?" Lanky hands swiped absently at the worker apron, "No use letting such a lovely face go to waste." Unusually bright, very _green_ eyes held his (Sora's) ocean blues for a moment—a moment where Roxas's (Sora's) face suddenly burned in a blush.

Roxas snarled, at once defensive of himself about things he didn't want to think about at the moment. "Necrophilistic bastard."

The flame-head give a hearty laugh, "Axel, actually, _got it memorized?_"

The younger of the two just _stared_. "Right, Axel, you—I'm assuming that's your name—you really said that?"

Axel squirmed slightly, "Well, yeah. It's my catchphrase."

"Get a new one, it _sucks_." Roxas frowned, then added on for effect: "Sucks_ arse_."

"Hey now!" Axel flopped like a lanky ragdoll into the seat across from his counterpart. "I didn't make rude comments about _your_ sexuality."

"Your sexuality is that you suck people's arses?" Roxas deadpanned, with only a raised brow to make it a question.

"Well if they ask, I suppose." Axel rolled his eyes sarcastically, "But you're still being rude! I gave you my name. What's your's?"

Roxas found his lips curving upward in spite of his dislike of such stupid humor, "Why should I give you—a possible stalker and crazy man—my name?" The younger boy stalled for time as he threw his mind for what to do.

It was usual for them (Sora and Roxas really, because Naminé was usually dressed as a girl) to give Sora's name when they met a new person. That way there would be no confusion if that person met anyone else they knew… but this place was on the edge of Roxas's territory. In places Roxas claimed, as long as they were far enough away from Sora's place, he was allowed to give his own name.

…But was this place far enough away? Roxas wondered for a second if he should ask Sora, but then remembered why he was there in the first place. _Oh the hell with it all_, he thought to himself.

All while Roxas was silence, Axel had been ranting on something to do with stalkers, probably only making himself out to seem _more_ like one. The dark-tipped blond watched the redhead flail his arms around as he spoke, it was almost graceful, but not quite—Roxas grabbed his glass before it went flying. He went to dump more ice cream into his mouth, but found his spoon missing.

"Give me that!" Roxas snatched the spoon back, now outright glaring at the older boy.

Axel deflated slightly, giving his best kicked-puppy look. "B-but! I wanted to try that—" He paused and stared at the ice cream, then tilted his head to the side as if that would cause it to make more sense. "Is that Sea-Salt ice cream?"

The brown-riddled blond glanced down at the turquoise-ish ice cream that still filled his bowl, "Of course."

The flame-head's grin began to curl at the edges slightly. "If you like the Sea-Salt, you've _got_ to try the Coco-Cherry Sea-Salt."

Roxas wrinkled his nose, speaking around another spoonful of Sea-Salt, "That doesn't sound very appetizing."

Axel stood up, popping his spine slightly as he extended to his full height (Roxas was impressed, the guy really _was_ a beanpole), shoving a thumb into his chest. "It's my _baby_! Therefore you _have_ to try it!" Using those lanky limbs, the redhead bounced away from Roxas's table and behind the counter.

Roxas supposed he should have noticed the flame-head was wearing the worker's uniform long before this.

Axel returned holding a bowl of red ice cream with chocolate fudge melting on top and chocolate sprinkles topping it off.

The brown-tipped blond just stared at him. "Okay, what the hell _is that_?"

"I told you," Axel beamed, presenting the plastic bowl like it was a gift from the gods. "It's Coco-Cherry Sea-Salt!"

"Riiiight," Roxas eyed the bowl, "And what am I to _do_ with that obviously unhealthy concoction?"

Vibrant green eyes rolled sarcastically. "Here," he said scooping out a spoonful and offering it to the narrowed blue eyes. "Eat it."

Roxas frowned but leaned forward and chomped down on the offered spoon, then slumped backwards with his arms crossed as he munched on the ice cream. Axel's bright eyes watched eagerly as the younger boy's face twisted then smoothed into a look of a blank surprise.

"It's actually _good_." The blond said airily, "You made this?" Blue eyes followed up to match green ones.

Axel puffed his chest out, obviously about to spout off about his _oh-so-wonderful _creation, when someone yelled out from the back, "RENO, GET YOUR PALE, LITTLE ASS OVER HERE!" Axel stilled, his face falling slightly.

This was followed by a crash and someone else calling out "My frozen treats OF DARKNESS!"

"Oh _dear gods_… Mansex's gotten into the freezer again." Axel yelped, "Sorry—oh I never caught your name—but I've got to go."

Roxas nodded, one brow raised in curiosity. "Don't want to be a bother to the workers." He murmured as the redhead began to bounce off again.

Axel paused, "See you around…?"

"Roxas."

"What?"

Roxas gave a small smile, "My name. It's Roxas. See ya!"

Axel returned with a cat-like grin before he disappeared behind the counter once more.

--

**A/N:** _Sorry for taking so long in getting this up. I've been working on it for awhile--this story is one of my favorites in ideas, but not always my favorite in actual writing. And yes, the ice cream thing is a TOTAL plug for my older oneshot "Ice Cream Truck", because Axel's weird tastes, plus Xemnas and ice cream--it's just hilarious._

_The next chapter is Sora's. ;D  
_


End file.
